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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28452924">Achilles Come Down</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfamousPansy/pseuds/InfamousPansy'>InfamousPansy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Batman Identity Reveal, Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, DC Comics Rebirth, Dark Bruce Wayne, Depression, Emotional Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Mental Health Issues, POV Jason Todd, Post-Comic: Red Hood and the Outlaws v2 25 Starting or Ending, Songfic, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:48:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,658</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28452924</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfamousPansy/pseuds/InfamousPansy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Jason Todd is not my son. My son died that day in Bosnia. The man testifying against me is a self-indulgent psychopath who uses his delusions to foster his murderous intent. I will not provide further comment.”<br/>-<br/>After a leaked identity and a brutal beating, Jason has had enough and decides to press charges against his so-called father. </p><p>*RHATO Post #25 canon divergence because i'm mad at what happened*</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson &amp; Jason Todd, Jason Todd &amp; Bruce Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>141</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Achilles Come Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Please read trigger warnings.<br/>This fic was inspired by the song Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Have you ever stopped to consider what is the deadliest weapon? Sure, the most obvious answer would be something powerful like a tank or a gun, but have you ever stopped to consider the power of human thought. After all, human thought is the source behind any cataclysmic event. Whether the motivation arises from greed or anguish, human thought can be considered the origin of any offensive situation from schoolyard bullying to violent and bloody massacres. These thoughts trigger a person’s inner compulsions, forcing them to obsess over every tiny detail until they snap. Its why depressed teenagers shoot up their schools or why adults spike their morning coffee with vodka. Its why victims of sexual assault become hypersexual or abused children lash out in anger. Its why terminally ill patients flee hospital beds and those who are suicidal seek death. So, it is no surprise that these intrusive words leave fingerprints upon the human soul, imprinting a twisted ideology into a person’s psyche. It is no wonder that the volume of a mentally ill person’s inner voice increases tenfold or that the thoughts remain longer until they morph into a constant yammering that bounces around in your head, leaving you desperate for peace and quiet.</p><p>Jason, of all people, knew how exhausting it was to experience these kinds of thoughts, especially considering his last interaction with Bruce. Sure, Jason was no stranger to the power of intrusive thinking, in fact, it had gotten him into numerous sticky situations. When Jason was young, the fear of abandonment encouraged him to forgo his childhood in favour of a family. Regardless of any abuse or neglect, Jason strived to be the perfect son. He would run errands late at night for his father, hide his mother’s drugs from the police and steal food for his family. After his father's arrest, Jason’s fear forced him to pursue crime like theft and assault to remain with his family.   After Bruce Wayne stole him from the streets, Jason channelled his will to survive. So, when Batman planted him in those bright colours, Jason became determined to last his enemies and when Jason woke up alone in a coffin, he clawed his way out of his grave. It was no wonder he was both mentally and physically exhausted, his whole life had just been countless failed attempts at finding sanctuary, so could you really blame him for finally snapping?</p><p>Sure, the constant flash of white lights did more than confirm the speculation people held for Jason’s motivations. After all, what could the recently revived man have against Bruce Wayne apart from the whole Batman thing, which thanks to Jason’s stint with Penguin was now public knowledge? But regardless of opinion, Jason stood his ground, choosing the court recess to sneak in a cigarette or two while his lawyer tried to work out a different angle.</p><p>As he stood on the roof, watching the crowd buzz below, Jason couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, as he reminisced about what brought him here. From his kidnapping, through to his vigilantism, to his death and to his abuse, Jason was sure he had quite the case against the billionaire, but as he listened to the paparazzi below, Jason was starting to doubt his success.</p><p>“Faking his death”</p><p>“Abuse <em>Allegations</em>”</p><p>“Wannabe Hero”</p><p>Phases like this heavily impacted Jason’s confidence despite the counteracting evidence. Talia had offered to state her involvement in Jason’s death and resurrection, Dick had reluctantly agreed to testify the abuse he to had suffered as robin and the evidence of abuse was planted all over Jason’s beaten body.  But still, Jason held doubt. But despite this, Jason powered on, that was until he heard his name slip out of that bastard’s mouth.</p><p>Down below, Bruce was trying to shove his way through paparazzi in a feeble attempt to leave for lunch, when he chose to comment on the case’s progress despite the confidentiality agreement. Jason let out a puff of cigarette smoke as the words left Bruce’s mouth.</p><p>“Jason Todd is not my son. My son died that day in Bosnia. The man testifying against me is a self-indulgent psychopath who uses his delusions to foster his murderous intent. I will not provide further comment.”</p><p>As Bruce stormed away, Jason allowed the paparazzi’s voices to blur into the background, trying to comprehend the reality of what Bruce said.</p><p>
  <em>“What were you trying to prove by shooting penguin?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Were you trying to prove Bruce, right? That he had moulded you to be a killer? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I- I... I’m not a killer…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’ve killed dozens of people…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Fucking rapists! abusers! paedophiles! Not fucking people!” </em>
</p><p>With a frustrated huff Jason extinguished his cigarette as he allowed the paparazzi to go crazy below as he couldn’t help but regret all the times, he should’ve killed Bruce when he had the chance.</p><p>
  <em>“Do you think you’re projecting the pain others have caused you onto your victims as you did with Bruce and Penguin?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah. fuck this, I’m out.”</em>
</p><p>Many minutes passed before Jason allowed himself to be free of thought, allowing him to refocus on the scene below. Amongst the paparazzi was multiple murals and tributes dedicated to Gotham’s dark knight, hoping that their saviour would be acquitted of all crimes despite the GCPD and Jason’s lawyer insisting the man was truly a menace. But no matter how hard people tried to paint the bat as cruel, people chose to instead remain ignorant and focus on the myth that was their hero. This meant that no matter how much of Oliver Queen’s money Jason burnt through, no matter how hard the press pushed the truth; Gotham was Batman’s world, and the Red Hood couldn’t survive in it.</p><p>Survival had always been a motivator for Jason, it was the only way he managed to live through Batman’s brutal beating. After a cracked skull, multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung, a dislocated arm and a twisted ankle, most people would have been dead. But Jason’s drive allowed him to power through. But as Jason stood there, trying to contemplate the extent of Batman’s reach, Jason felt his core morph into something new, <strong><em><span class="u">fear</span></em></strong>.</p><p>Fearful of Bruce’s influence, fearful of Batman’s firsts, fearful of the general future and well, Jason couldn’t take it and just like that, Jason slowly moved from his spot of the roof, perching himself on the opposite side of the railing. Just like many times before, Jason fed his compulsion with his thoughts. Fuelling them with memories of trauma, snippets of insults and bits of anxiety, to quench his soul’s thirst.</p><p>“Bloodthirsty”, they called him, a “sadist”, a “monster in the making”</p><p>
  <em>“At age fucking 19 he severed the heads of several men. That’s evidence of a psychopath, I can guarantee that this so-called abuse Bruce Wayne did was probably just self-defence”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was the pit… they forced him in it…</em>
</p><p>“Psychopath” they shouted, <em>“s</em>treet scum” they screamed, a “waste of space”</p><p>
  <em>“The guy has worked with some of the biggest villains. Fucking Deathstroke, Suzie Su, Black Mask. No wonder the bat had to beat him senseless to protect Gotham. The guy probably would’ve killed Bruce just like he did penguin”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But he didn’t fight Bruce back… </em>
</p><p>“Murderer”, a “Lunatic”, “an Arkham resident if you ask me”</p><p>“<em>He’s an ungrateful liar, Bruce kindly let the stray into his home and gave him everything he ever needed.”</em></p><p>
  <em>But Bruce had kidnapped him…</em>
</p><p>Jason’s breathing hitched, as he sensed movement beside him, forcing his eyes to snap in its general direction. Dick Grayson had perched himself beside his distraught brother, offering him a piece of sushi, unaware to the suicidal energy radiating through his brother.</p><p>“You chose a great spot, it’s nice and breezy up here, easy to get away” the acrobat smiled, oblivious to the obvious danger their current position held. Jason quietly declined the food, choosing to instead focus on the fall, trying to work up the courage to step off. Dick glanced at Jason, raising an eyebrow, before dismissing the behaviour and swallowing the last piece of sushi. Standing to his feet, Dick stretched, turning to his brother with a sad smile. “Best we head in, recess is almost over and it’s my turn to shine. No way in hell am I doing that alone.”  But when Jason didn’t turn, Dick froze, a smidge of panic erupting inside of him. “You okay Little Wing?” Dick inched towards Jason, who instantly flinched back, causing Dick to immediately retract back, afraid of causing his brother to fall. Instead, Dick watched as Jason used his shoulder to wipe away fallen tears, refusing to answer the question.</p><p>“Hey, What’s wrong? Is it the trial? I know it’s intense, do you want me to request a longer recess?”  Jason just stared down, his feet teasing against the edge before he let out a sniffly response.</p><p>“I’m just so tired Dick… I’m so tired and so very scared.”</p><p>
  <em>“Jump” Bruce’s voice whispered.</em>
</p><p>“Cmon, it’s not that bad, You’ll be fine, let’s just go inside and-”</p><p>“I can’t do that… I Just… I just can't!”</p><p>
  <em>“Do it, before they figure out your tough guy act is just a ruse”</em>
</p><p>“Why? What’s going on Jay, Talk to me!”</p><p>
  <em>“Jump now”</em>
</p><p>Jason took one last look at his brother before releasing the railing and stepping forward. Instantly, Dick leapt after him, shooting out a grappling hook last minute in a foolish attempt to rescue him. But the short distance and the long rope rejected the idea, forcing the pair to slam into the opposing building. Dick’s head slammed against the wall, rendering him unconscious as his brother slipped from his grasp.</p><p>
  <em>“Jason, trust me. You’ll never understand flying unless you take the risk of falling”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“But Dick… I’m scared”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t be Little Wing. I’m right here to catch you, I promise”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Promise!” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Dick had promised to always catch Jason so he jumped without a fucking net.</p>
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